Treat! Mississippi county outlaws clowns through Halloween

KEMPER COUNTY, Miss. -- If you were planning on being a clown for Halloween, you can think again.

Kemper Countys board of supervisors made it illegal last week for clowns to appear in public until the day after Halloween, according to the Kemper County Messenger.

County officials deemed the recent clown-scares sweeping the nation as justification for dashing the dreams of residents who already purchased their evil clown garb and were counting down the days until they could freak their friends out.

Kemper County Sheriff James Moore said the national epidemic of clowns had "gotten out of hand," the Messenger reported. He said that the ban is for the overall safety of residents.